Radio Show Recap
Noelle filled in for Angelo again, while he was still slightly under the weather from the roller-coaster early spring weather.
This Week in your lawn & garden:
- Maximizing Sprouted Bulbs | For any pots of spring-blooming bulbs you’re using to decorate indoors for Easter (e.g. daffodil, tulip, hyacinth), keep them in a cool environment overnight to elongate the bloom cycle. Once out of bloom, plant them outside for returning enjoyment next year!
- Preventing Crabgrass | Apply Scotts® Step® 1 to prevent the germination of annual crabgrass while feeding the lawn. If you’re planning to overseed with grass seed this spring, be sure to choose Step 1 “for seeding” so you don’t suppress the lawn seed while addressing the weed seed. *You can also apply Lightning Lime™ at the same time as Step 1. WATCH Spring Lawn Care
- Preparing Soil for Planting | Before planting anything this season, add some organic compost, Sweet Peet®, Petitti Planting Mix, and Soil Perfector™ (if heavy with clay) to veggie gardens or flower beds to put key nutrients back into the soil. Before working on soil, perform the “squeeze test” where you dig down about 6 inches, grab a handful of soil, squeeze it, then open your hand. If the soil holds its shape as a firm ball, it’s still too wet. If it crumbles easily, it has drained well enough that it’s workable and ready for planting. READ Preparing the Soil.
- Chasing Away Chipmunks | If chipmunks and squirrels have been a nuisance for your garden, use Repels-All® to deter their digging. SHOP Repels-All®
- Deterring Deer | Deer are feeding on newly emerging plants. Sprinkle Plantskydd® granules around plants as they sprout, and switch to misting with Plantskydd® spray, once leaves have flushed out. LEARN MORE about Deer-Resistant Gardening
- Spraying Fruit Trees | Buds are swelling, so it’s time to spray peaches, cherries, plums, and grapes to prevent the onset of fungal diseases and insects, which negatively impact fruit development. Use Bonide® Orchard Spray with sulfur or Bonide® Fruit Tree & Plant Guard. Spray before buds break open, and pick a dry day when nighttime temperatures are above freezing. READ Fruit Treatment Schedule
- Turning Hydrangeas Blue/Pink | If you have a Bigleaf hydrangea (H. macrophylla) you would like to bloom blue, now’s the time to apply Aluminum Sulfate or Soil Acidifier. Repeat the application when buds are the size of a quarter. To bloom pink, feed them Garden Lime. Don’t apply to red-blooming varieties, as they don’t need it. WATCH Changing Color
- Keeping Bugs Out | Bugs are waking up! On a dry day, spray Ortho® Home Defense® 3 feet up & out around the entire perimeter of your foundation, garage, and door jambs to achieve 6 months of protection from ants & pests. You can also sprinkle Ortho® BugClear® granules in a 3-foot band around your home to create a barrier. SHOP Home Defense®
- Fertilizing Shrubs | Feed your evergreens with Holly-tone® and Iron-tone®. Feed everything else that’s deciduous with Plant-tone® and Iron-tone®. Feed spring-blooming bulbs with Bulb-tone® as they emerge from the ground now. WATCH Spring Fertilizing